We're in China! It felt really strange to say that to myself when I woke up yesterday.
We've been here only two full days, but A. and I have seen and done a lot already. I'll post all about those events separately. So, here are my first impressions of my new home:
1. The air is dirty, but just about everything else is clean. I don't know if we showed up at a bad time of year or what, but the smog must be seen to be believed. During the daytime, I can't see much across the harbor. All other public spaces, however, are very clean: the streets and sidewalks are hosed down regularly, the trash is swept up, even the subway station floors are tidy. I have heard that things like hotel elevators are sanitized every hour because of the fear of spreading bird flu.
2. I've never seen crowds like this. I knew that Hong Kong had 7 million people crammed into about 1,100 square kilometers of space, but I didn't know what that looked like until I arrived here.
3. Sadly, I haven't found anything very pretty about Hong Kong housing so far. It's been hard not to think of Paris in this regard. Most housing here is in the form of huge, soulless blocks of concrete, either gleamingly new or in some state of advanced decay. The two pictures above are from Tai Koo, which is one area where we think we're going to live. We start our house hunting tomorrow, and hope to find some other options besides the ones shown here....
4. Food promises to be as excellent as advertised. Today we had breakfast at a dim sum place just up the road from our hotel, and I think it beats a danish at Starbucks any day. Our menu was a series of photographs presented in a small album, which really helped with the language barrier. Yes, chicken feet and something called "squid lips" were available, but we decided to stick to the stuff we know. For now, that is!
5. My feet are going to have to adapt in a hurry to this car-less life. Public transport here is superb -- cheap, efficient, and extensive -- but it does mean a lot of walking, stair-climbing, and standing. I've got the soft, tender feet of an American with a car and foot cream, and after two days, it shows.
5. Finally, it is very, very humid here. If this is the so-called cool season, then I am going to be in big trouble when the summer rolls around. I think the weather here will make Memphis feel like Minnesota.
Lots more postings to come!
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